


Forgive Me

by Akira_Jikan



Series: Enemy or Ally AU [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Dark Keith (Voltron), Gen, I know I am late, Keithmonth2018, Prompt 7: Lions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 10:26:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16303412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akira_Jikan/pseuds/Akira_Jikan
Summary: They didn't know what else to do. They needed to know what happened. They never knew how much they needed him until now.The only thing they have now is their mutual connections with the lions. But, what they find... Will it strengthen their resolve or break them? A myth to find and they could only blame themselves for the empty space.





	Forgive Me

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr: [AsianMC-AJ](https://asianmc-aj.tumblr.com/)  
> Beta-ed by Silvamoon
> 
> Everyone needs to thank my beta, Silva, cause I am bad at describing things. (You will find out the true extent in the fic after the next one).

No one knew how to reply to Pidge’s question. While the memory answered some of their inquiries, it also created more questions.

 

_ What happened to Keith? _

 

_ Why did his face look like that? _

 

_ Why were Haggar and her druids there? _

 

_ What was happening in that facility? _

 

So many questions whirled around in their brains and none of them could be answered. 

 

“What- What are we going to do now?” Lance says, finally breaking the silence. His tone was subdued and filled with worry. 

 

While he didn’t get along with Keith often, the two end up bickering more often than not, he still cared about him. And seeing what Keith did to the blade member, it terrified him. He’s always seen Keith with some sort of expression; whether it was anger, caution, or amusement. Even when the former paladin was trying to be indifferent, his emotions still showed in the way he moved. Additionally, it’s unbelievable that Keith would ever turn on his own.

 

Lance couldn’t suppress a shiver, as Keith’s cold eyes flashed in his head. 

 

Allura almost didn’t hear Lance’s question, her eyes too fixated on Keith’s face. Looking at those glowing violet veins, she could feel how dark the magic inflicted upon him was. Even if she was just looking at the memory, it felt like it was trying to spread and infect anyone near it. 

 

The violet eyes and glowing veins reminded her of a legend about a creature that many believed once existed on Altea. The creature would lurk in the shadows and once the night reached its darkest moment...it would strike. While many believed it to be a legend, her father did not and it was his words that stuck to her at this moment.

 

_ “For every legend and myth, there is always some truth to them. Always remember that Allura.” _

 

And looking at Keith now, she couldn’t help but believe. After all, the sight in front of her reminds her of a Saehi, a beautiful soulless creature who craves life and has only one purpose--to steal the quintessence of a living being. And the more quintessence they steal, the more the vein-like marks on their bodies would glow.

But, Keith isn’t a Saehi. Unless… Haggar had the ability to make him into one. With this in mind, Allura’s hands unconsciously tremble as fear wraps around her. 

 

Whatever Keith is now, she cannot let him hurt the others. Even if she cannot bring herself to be the one to stop him.

 

“As Kolivan suggested, we will proceed with caution. If- If Keith is truly working with Haggar, we will have no other choice but to stop him at all costs.” While her words were firm, they could still hear the waver at the ending.

 

“But what if there’s a way to get him back?” Hunk asks as he wrings his hands. “Keith- he would do anything to get one of us back.”

 

The yellow paladin could remember how Keith acted when Shiro disappeared. They all felt lost and none of them knew what to do. Keith, he was the closest to Shiro and while he never showed it, Hunk knew it tore the other apart. But, Keith is strong.

 

He stepped up and became the black paladin. He tried to guide them in his own way, trying to push them to become better. There were times where they questioned his orders, but, unlike Shiro, Keith took their considerations more seriously. Keith needed them, just as much as they needed him. 

 

He never gave up on Shiro and he encouraged them in his own way. Hunk wanted to reciprocate what Keith had done to them. He deserves more than that.

 

“But, how? Haggar and her druids did something to him? How can we help him when we don’t even know what they did to him? Or if we even have the tech to save him?!” Pidge asked, her voice raising and frustration building. 

 

Keith always thought of the bigger picture, always putting everyone first before himself. There was still a lot of things left unsaid between the two and she had to apologize. She needed him to know that she was thankful for him. That even when he disagreed with their plans, he still went along with it if it meant helping them. 

 

Keith cared too much about everyone and everything while putting himself as an afterthought. She couldn’t let him destroy himself even further.

 

“There is another way. However, I’m not quite sure if you Paladins would like it,” Lotor interjected, watching them intensely.

 

“If you dare suggest that we harm Keith in any way, I will kill you before you could lay a finger on him.”

 

Eyes shifted towards the voice, landing on the Rebel. His molton brown eyes blazed with anger and his hands clenched at his sides.

 

Matt promised to himself that he would do his best to watch over Keith, especially after what happened to Naxzela. He wasn’t as close to the former red paladin as his sister or Shiro, but he could see how important the male was to them and it made him want to get to know him. He didn’t want to know what they would do if Keith died, he didn’t want to see them fall apart.

 

Lotor raised an eyebrow at Matt and shifted to appear more relaxed. “Oh? You haven’t even heard my suggestion and you’ve already declined it? How petulant of you.”

 

Growling, Matt stood up and glared at the prince, wishing he could hurt the male. “You may have saved him, but I will not let you be the one to end him.”

 

“Enough! There will be no killing Keith.” Everyone was startled by the sound of Shiro’s voice, none of them ever hearing the male yell like this before.

 

Shiro was bent over, his elbows on his thighs and his head in his hands. His body was trembling and his palms were rubbing against his face.

 

“Enough… Just let me think…” 

 

Shiro’s mind was a mess. He didn’t know what to think and he didn’t want to Keith to get hurt. He just wanted his brother back. 

 

He finally looks up at Lotor, searching for any hints of lies. “Lotor. What are you suggesting?”

 

“Wait, Shiro. You can’t be serious, he-!” Lance protested but was cut off.

 

“I said, enough Lance. If Lotor knows a way to get Keith back then this is the only chance we have.” The pleading in Shiro’s eyes makes Lance freeze and with a quelling frown, he sat back down.

 

Shiro looks back at Lotor and nods his head for the Prince to speak his idea. 

 

“As I said before I was rudely interrupted.” Lotor ignored the glare sent his way by the Rebel.  “If you wish no harm to be placed on your little blade, there may be two ways to prevent that. One is isolating Keith from Haggar and her druids in hopes that it would lower her control over him.  The second is to kill Haggar in hopes that it would completely cut off any power she has over him.”

 

They all took in his words and they couldn’t help but agree with that. It seemed the most ethical for them, except for killing Haggar of course, but it would be hard to do.

 

“But, you’ve told us previously that Haggar and her druids are elusive. No one can keep track of them unless we're Zarkon,” Pidge stated, her mind whirling with ideas of a device to track Haggar or possibly her druids.

 

“Pidge is right,” The princess agreed with a frown. Even though she knows Haggar is an Altean, it will be hard to sense where she is due to the corruption in her quintessence. An idea sparked in her brain, but she is uncertain if it would work. “However, there may be a way. Instead of Haggar, why not locate Keith?”

 

Kolivan shook his head and pointed out, “The tracker in his Blade suit had been disposed of at the site.”

 

“No. The princess is suggesting that the paladins might have a winning chance of locating him,” Coran decides to finally pipe into the conversation. He wanted to hear what everyone said before making his own suggestions. He does not like what is happening and while he isn’t close to Keith as the others. He does have fond moments with the young half-Galran and the boy had proven himself many times to them.

 

“The bond with our lions,” Shiro breathed out in realization. 

 

Coran nodded his head and tweaked his mustache with his finger and thumb. “Correct, Number One. While Keith isn’t piloting the black and red lions right now, he still has a bond with both of them. The bonds with your lions and his own, you will have a higher chance of finding him.”

 

“Coran is correct. However, we will have to be careful. If Keith is corrupted by Haggar’s magic, then there may be a chance that his bond is being blocked.” 

 

Pidge frowns at Allura’s words. She knows it could be a possibility but that doesn’t mean they can give up easily. “We still need to try. We can’t give up.”

 

“And we won’t.”

 

~~~

All of the paladins sat in their lions, each of them ready to find Keith. Coran, Kolivan, Zhex, Matt, and Lotor stayed in the bridge.

 

“Alright, Paladins. Everything is set on my side.”

 

“Paladins?” Shiro asked through the intercoms. After hearing affirmative responses, he replies back to Coran. “We are ready to go.”

 

The paladins gripped the handles and closed their eyes, taking deep breaths. Their minds focusing on the bonds they have with their lions, as well as the moments they had with Keith.

 

Allura thinks back to when Keith and she were out in space together, both believing they were the ones being tracked by Zarkon. How he protected her and even after her attitude towards him when they found out about his other heritage, he never stopped protecting her. She became cold to him, but he stayed kind. Even when she apologized, his actions already shown that she was long forgiven. His soul blazed hot but never burned.

 

Pidge remembers when Keith had yelled at her for trying to leave and then their talk later that day. She remembers his pain filled voice, “I know what’s it like to lose your family and not being able to do anything about it. Before I had Shiro, my dad died a few years before and I never met my mom. I’ve always wondered and searched for answers about her, just to grasp at who she is. But, no one knew her and I had nothing.” His tone and the look in his eyes, she could never forget that. He was so similar to herself, but they were still worlds apart.

 

Hunk never forgot what Keith did for him. When they went to the Weblum together, Keith believed in him and what he could do. Sure, Lance does that to him but it’s mainly due to their friendship, but Keith didn’t know him that well, yet he was confident in him. Not to mention, Keith saved a Galra without a second thought. He could still hear his words, “We’re Paladins of Voltron. We can’t just leave people here to die, even if they are Galra.” It spoke volumes to Hunk, how could someone be able to risk their life to save someone who could cause their death. 

 

Lance has mixed feelings about Keith since the first time he’s heard about him. He’s always been envious of the attention, but he also admired him for his flying skills. He knew it’s his own fault that his relationship with Keith was rocky at the beginning but he’s grown to understand the former paladin more. Keith believes in him and reassured him, even after all the things Lance had said and done to him. He hasn’t had the chance to apologize and thank him.

 

Soon, one by one, they reached the astral plane. All except for Shiro. 

 

“Shiro?” 

  
  
“Shiro, what’s wrong?”

 

“Shiro?!” They all called, trying to figure out why the black paladin hasn’t come yet.

 

“Shiro! Keith needs you!”

 

A form flickered where the black paladin is supposed to be and soon enough, Shiro appeared in front of them. “What… Keith?... Don’t…”

 

Lance’s eyes squinted at Shiro, unable to hear the majority of the words. “Shiro?! We need to focus on locating Keith!”

 

“..Keith?...” 

 

“Yes, Shiro. Now, everyone concentrate.” Allura cuts in, not wanting to waste any more time. 

 

Behind each of them, the lions appeared and they could all feel their bonds growing. A strong surge of energy went through them, as the red and black lions roared. A mahogany colored circle appeared in the middle and slowly a figure phased into it. It was Keith.

~~~

After Zhex’s escape, he’s been in and out of consciousness. Haggar kept him close to her and would often perform some experimentations to his body. He didn’t know what she did, but it would often lead to him feeling extreme pain and passing out because of it.

 

Keith felt so alone, even more than when he was living in the desert by himself for a year. But, he could still feel the presence of Red and Black in the back of his mind. He felt relief at being able to still feel their connection. 

 

Keith is resting in his room when he feels a prickling sensation at the back of his mind. Tensing at the feeling, he tries to reach out the lions. They rarely try to reach out to him, instead, they would send comforting signals to him. 

 

_ At this time? _

 

Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled until he was submerged in their presence. 

 

“Keith!” 

 

Opening his eyes, he sees all of the paladins around him and isn’t that a pleasant surprise.

 

~~~

“Keith, are you working with the Empire?” Allura asked, going straight to the point. She noted how the veins on his face aren’t glowing and appearing as a scar instead.

 

A rueful smile appeared on his face as he looks at her, “And what if I am, princess?”

 

Her eyes narrowed at him, disappointed at his answer. “Then you know what will happen when we meet.”

 

An odd look passes through his face, as he looks at each of them, his eyes lingering on Shiro’s form a tad longer. “I do and if we fight, do not hold yourself back for me.” 

 

“You can’t be serious, Keith! If- If you’re doing this because you’ve found something or…” Pidge shouted as she glared at the former paladin. Her hands clenched at her sides, trying to do her best to hold herself back. “Whatever you’re going through, we can help you!”

 

“Help?” A sneer appeared on his face, as a breathless laugh escaped him. “Why would you ever help me? I do not need your pity. After all, aren’t I expendable?”

 

“That’s not true!” Lance exclaimed. He never considered to think that Keith would be insecure of himself and it shows to him that everything he thought he knew of the male was wrong,

 

“Isn’t it? Haggar saw what I could become. She saw that I could become greater than who I was.”

 

“But, Keith. You’re already great, the way you were!” 

 

Keith turned to look at Hunk, a growl escaping his pale lips, “Are you sure about that? Maybe I’m just being more Galra Keith!”

 

The yellow paladin winced, his own words being used against him. 

 

Keith’s attention turned to Shiro, looking at the black paladin oddly again. “I’m surprised you’re here. Maybe there is hope after all.”

 

Before the paladins could ask him what those words meant, his attention returned to Allura. “I’m surprised you’re trying to reach out to me. Aren’t you afraid?” Examining her closely, a twisted smile appeared on his face. “You are. You think I’ve become like Zarkon.”

 

Her breath hitched at that accusation, knowing deep within herself that she has thought of that. “Have you?”

 

Shrugging his shoulders casually, as if they were talking about the weather, “Maybe.”

 

Pidge didn’t believe a word he said. If he was trying to become like Zarkon, why hasn’t he tried to gain control of the red or black lion? The puzzle just grows bigger. “You’re lying. You haven’t even tried to get a lion back!”

 

“Yes, because I knew you would do this.”

 

“You mean-” Hunk started, as realization set in.

 

“I waited until you used the connection I have with the lions to find me? Yes, I did.” 

 

“Keith… don’t…”

 

The expression Keith made looked regretful, but that can’t be right if what he plans to do will harm them. Something dark began to form at Keith’s feet, as the veins on his face began to glow violet. The dark form  began to spread--the shadows twisting and turning into random shapes--until it looked like a series of writhing tentacles. Parts of the shadows branched off and grew to form a vague imitation of a person, adding a pair of arms that wrapped themselves around Keith.

 

“No, Keith…” Allura whispered softly as she looks at the scene with fear. She sensed the being as corrupted quintessence but Keith shouldn’t be able to control it. No one has ever been able to.

 

“Keith, stop this!” 

 

“This isn’t you!”

 

He ignored them, as the power around him grew stronger. They struggled against the power, as they tried to get Keith to see reason. But, none of their words seemed to get through him.

 

“Forgive me,” was said so faintly that it was almost missed. No sooner did the corrupted quintessence lashed out at each of them and it felt like electricity shoot through them.

 

Unbearable pain filled them, as they screamed out. Shiro was the first to fade out, not lasting long. Each of them returned back to their bodies soon, their body weak and still feeling the phantom pain, it didn’t take long for all of them to be passed out.

 

It was later when they realized that Keith’s connections to the lions have been broken.

 

Another empty space where Keith was meant to be and they only had themselves to blame.

 

~~~

Keith walks down the corridor, heading down to the witch’s main lab. He ignores the murmurs about him from the foot soldiers that he passed.

 

_ The Witch’s Pet _

 

_ Halfbreed _

 

_ Vanquisher _

 

None of their words affected him, having been used to it when he was a cadet and long before then.

 

No sooner, he reached the witch’s lab and placed his hand on the scanner. It quickly verified him and the door slid open. He took two steps into the room and stopped, waiting for her to acknowledge him as the door slid closed. 

 

“Vanquisher, report.”

 

Without hesitation, he reported monotonously, “The Paladins of Voltron made contact through the lions. The bond has been broken.” 

 

Her eyes finally looked at his figure, examining him closely. “Good, we will proceed with the plan. Prepare yourself for the next round of experimentations. I will not have you fail me.”

 

Straightening at her full attention, he places his right fist on his chest. “Vrepit Sa.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please read these following posts on Tumblr  
> [Selfless-Keith](https://fiery-mullet.tumblr.com/post/174886957152/selfless-keith)
> 
> [How much Keith cares for his Team](https://fiery-mullet.tumblr.com/post/176780008412/its-not-only-this-new-clip-that-shows-how-much)


End file.
